Sectional boat



Jan. 25,1. o. H. JoHNsoN SECTIONAL BOAT Filed Aug. 8, 1939 5 SheebS-Sheet 1 Jam 25, 1944. o. H. JOHNSON SEGTIONAL' BOAT Filed Aug. 8, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 O. H. JOHNSON sEcTIoNAL BOAT led Aug. 8, 1959 5 sheets-sheet 5 Jan. 25, Q. H. JOHNSON SECTIONAL BOAT .Filed Aug. 8, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 y INVENTOR. Ucaf/ Jzfzom.

Jan. 25, 1944.

O. H. JOHNSON sEcTloNAL BOAT Filed Aug. 8, 1939 5 sheets-sheet 5 INVENTOR.

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Patented Jan. 25, 1944 UNITED .STATES PATENT orrica A SECTIONAL BOAT Oscar H. Johnson,l Chicago, Ill. Application August 8, 1939, Serial No. 288,997

` Claims.

Another object of the invention is to provide Y improvements in the structural features of a sectional boat which make it convenient and inexpensive to manufacture the boat sections.

Other advantages inherently possessed by the invention will become apparent from a perusal of this specification.

In the drawings wherein there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the boat mounted on trailer Wheels and attached to an automobile in towing position.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation -of the boat section shown in Fig. 1, showing the towing brackets arranged in operative position.

Fig. 3 is a sectionalview on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the three boat sections arranged in telescoped position.

Fig. 6 vis a vertical sectional view on the line 5 6 of Fig. 5, with the towing wheels added.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one trailer Wheel assembly.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the entire boat completely assembled.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a sectional View on the line lll-i0 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a central longitudinal sectional view showing the middle boat section arranged for sleeping.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view on line I 2i2 of Fig. 11. a

Referring now to the drawings and iirst to Fig. 8, the boat is made in three sections generally designated as l, 2 and 3. The front section has sidewalls 4 and 5 shaped and curved in the usual manner for the bow of a'boat and a rear wall 6 extending from the bottom of the boat to' the top wall 1. An aperture is provided in the view on the line 4 4 of top wall I0 of the'bow section and is tted with water-tight hinged doors 8 and 9 which may be secured together by hooks such as I I or any other locking device. Suitable rubber stripping at the joints around the doors is provided to eiect a water-tight sealI but the details of such stripping are not shown. It will be noted that the side walls Aof the bow section have their lower ends secured underneath the horizontal ange I2 which is integral with the keel i3.

Any suitable material for making the joint with the .keel board water-tight may be used.v

I have found that good quality ply-wood well painted or varnished makes a very satisfactory hull for this boat section and for the other boat sections when steamed and pre-formed to the desired curvature. The walls 4, 5 and 1 overlap the edges of the wail 6 and are securedthereto. with some suitable calking material to make the joint tight. 'I'hus it will be perceived that the `front section while readily opened so that its interior may be used for the storage of equipment, fishing tackle, etc., is converted into a water-tight air chamber when the hinged doors are closed down in sealed position.

At the top of each wall 4 and 5 are located the rails I4 and I5 with reinforcing cleats such as I8 and I1. disposed beneath the rail.

I'he middle section into which the other two sections are placed during the transportation of the boat, has an interior width at its rear end that is greater than the maximum beam oi' either of the other two sections so that the telescoped arrangement shown in Fig. 5 is possible. The` hullof the middle section is made in the same manner as the hull of the bow section,y,preferably consisting of two pre-formed ply-wood walls I8 and i9 secured to the horizontal iiange 20 of the keel 2l. .The top of this section is finished with rails 22 and 23 with cleats as shown underneath the rails. The middle section is provided with end walls 24 and 25. Arranged on the interior of all of the sections is a plurality of reinforcing ribs such as 26, thenumber of ribs to be employed being variable and a matter of individual Judgment. 'I'he combination of ribs, ply-wood walls and end walls in each section yield structures of great rigidity of strength.

While the mid section is illustrated as designed to contain the other two sections, it-is contemplated that the stern section instead may be designed for such use.

The' stern section 3 has side walls 21 and 28 secured, as in the case oi' the other sections, to a 'keel as anais provided with finishing reiis so and 3|. It likewise has end walls 82 and 38.

Each boat sectionis connected to the adjoining boat 'section by means of a pin, carrying bracket such as 34 shown in Fig.' 9 disposed onone boat section and an eye bracket such as 38 disposed on' the adjoining section. These brackets' are secured rigidly to the keel sections andin assembling the e boat sections, the pin is merely dropped into the eye, after which the adjoining walls are brought together as shown in F-igs. 8 and 9 and U-shaped U-shaped-bracket 88 to the top of which are secured the pilot pins 88 and 8| surrounded by to lift the clamps 3i, disengage the pin member 34 from the socket member 35 and lift one section away from the other. When the boat sections are thus separated from each other, each clamp 38 is merely allowed to fall back to its normal horizontal position.

Assho'wii in Figs'. 1 to s inclusive, a towing bracket is permanently but collapsibly attachedl to the i'ront end of the middle boat section.- A

V-shaped bracket having arms 38 and 40 is pivoted at 4| and 42 in the recess in front of the forward wall 24 of the boat section. A single arm 43 pivoted at 44 has a tongue at its outer end which may be locked on the bridge 45 connecting the arms 38 and 40 by means of a vertical pin 48 integral with-the bridge and positioned to engage the hole 41 inthe arm 43. Any suitable locking device, las for example a hinged strap 48, may be swung over the top of the tongue on the arm 43 and secured in locked position by a pin such as 48.

To connect this bracket to an automobile for towing purposes, I secure a. clamp of any suitable construction such as 88 to an automobile bumper 8| and connect this clamp to the towing bracket by means of a pin 82 passing through the hole I3. When the towing bracket is disconnected from the automobile, preparatory to assembling the boat, the mechanism for locking the bracket in extended position isdisconnected, the arm 43 is first folded upwardly to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and thereafter the arms 38 and 40 are allowed to drop down to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. These brackets are made preferably of steel or some other suitably strong andrigid material. When they are collapsed, they do not interfere with the joining of the bow section to this end of the middle section for the reason that the end wall of the bow section abuts against the projecting cleats 84 and 58.

shows an alternative'position in which the carrier wheels may be mounted in the event that the load in the boat sections should be at sometime shifted toward the forward end of the telescoped sections. Each trailer wheel 82 is mounted in a heavy shock absorbing springs 84 and 88 which abut against the under side of the flanges 88 or 58. 4To each of the U-shaped brackets 88 is connected a guide post 88 which extends upwardly through a notch 86' to the pomtlon of a hinged clamp 81 which maybe closed around this post and hooked to the rail of the boat byl means of the hook 68. The clamp 81 may be so constructed as to permit a vertical reciprocation ofthe post 66 as the shock absorbing springs yield under vibration when in transit. The pilot pins at the same time may reciprocate through the anges. It will be readily perceived that these trailer wheels are quickly removable from' the boat section merely by'unlocking the clamp 6 1 and backing the pins Sli'and 6| outof theflanges 58 or 58, as the case may be.l

removable seats for the rear section by suspending the seats 69 and 1| on wire loops such as 'I2 which may be inserted through eyes 13 positioned.

underneath the rails]v of the boats section. These seats may be removed .by disengaging the wire loops and they may be stored when the boat is in transit, as shown in Fig. 6.

Seats are also provided'in the middle boat section and serve a dual purpose. The forward seat 14 (Fig. 8), is hinged on the front wall 24 (Fig. 11) at 15. When positioned for seating it rests on cleats 184 and 11 and upon a rod 18 hinged to its undersurface and resting on the keel. When this seat is raised to the position shown in Fig. 11, it serves as a support for a tarpaulin 18, which may be used either when the boat is telescoped for i transportation or storage or when the middle boat section is converted into a cabin for sleeping quarters, as shown in Fig. 11. For this latter purpose I have provided a series of air vents 8l in the forward seat which may be covered with screening and a slidable shutter 82, the arrangement shown being merely suggestive of the possibilties for adequate ventilation.

The rear seat 83 when serving as a seat 'may be supported on a hinged rod 84. The hinge for this seat is supported on the Vwall 33 and is designed to be shiftable so that the seat may be extended upwardly in the position shown in Fig. 11. The hinge may be mounted in a sliding support or one leaf of the hinge may be inserted into abracket 85 when used as a seat. The leaf of the hinge may be inserted into the bracket 88 when the seat is used as a roof support. It will be understood that a bracket is provided for each hinge and that two or more hinges will of course be used on the seat, in accordancewith its width.

When the rearseat is used as a roof support, as shown in Fig. 11. the hinged door 81 is provided so that one may crawl through 4the opening into the middle boat section and by closing the door, make this section entirly weather proof. Air vents 88 covered with a sliding screened ventilator 88 will be provided in the door. The tarpaulin may be secured to the sides of the middle boat section and to the top edges of the front and rear seats by snaps or any other suitable devices. A ridge pole 8l hinged in the middle at 92 will be used to give support to the tarDaulin and will rest in notches 83 and 84 in the seats to hold them locked in raised position. The numeral 85 indicated that a mattress may be positioned in this middle section when it is used for sleeping quarters.lv

The overlapping clampssuch as 38 cannot con- As shown inFlgs. 8, 9 and 10 I haveprovidcdA veniently be used to secure the rear end of the bow section to the front end of the middle section, hence I secure the angle irons 96 and 91 to the middle section and employ rotatable buttons 98 and 99 carried by the bow section to lock these two sections together.

It will now be perceived that this sectional boat is so designed that it can be readily assembled or diassembled by one man in a very few minutes and without the use of tools. When telescoped and mounted on the wheels it may be covered by a tarpaulin or other suitable weather-proof covering. The same hinged seats which facilitate the covering of the telescoped boat for transportation or storage are also used to provide a weather-proof cabin in the boat when it is in use on the water.

The design of the several boat sections is such that the hull is conveniently manufactured from pre-formed ply-wood rigidly supported upon the keel and end walls and reinforced by any desired number of ribs. It is obvious that each boat section is an extremely rigid unit and is entirely free from any holes below the water line. All of these advantages, pertaining to durability and utility, and arising out of this unique design, are attained without undue expense, in fact the design is especially well adapted for economical manufacture.

'I'he boat when assembled may be equipped for sailing or may be used as a row boat. If it is desired to drive it by motor an outboard motor may be attached to the rear end wall 32 of the rear section, in a manner customary for the mounting of such motors.

It should be understood that while a preferred construction is shown and described in considerable detail herein, the invention is nevertheless susceptible to considerable variation and modifization within the scope of the claims which fol- Having shown and described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a boat, separate, independent wheel attachment means including brackets permanently secured on opposite sides of the boat on the outside surfaces thereof, a pair of wheels for towing, and separate independent mounting means for each wheel constructed for temporary interlocking connection with said attachment means whereby the boat may be supported on said Wheels for towing, said mounting means including resilient members carried thereby and coacting with said attachment means to afford a shock cushioning connection between the two said means.

2. In combination, a boat, rigid brackets fastened to the boat at opposite sides thereofl a pair of wheels for towing, a separate mounting unit for each wheel comprising rigid members for retaining the wheel axle, means on said unit for detachable interlocking connection with said brackets, and a rigid member extending upwardly from each unit above said bracket and means for temporarily connecting said member to the boat above said bracket.

3. In combination, a boat having a plurality of sections, two of said sections when connected together in line for floating in the water being constructed to provide a recess between them, and a folding towing bracket secured to one of said boat sections and constructed whereby it may be folded into said recess when the boat sections are assembled together and capable of being extended for attachment to an automobile when the boat sections are not aligned together.

4. In combination, a boat comprising a plurality of boat sections, one of said sections being eequipped for towing, said towing section and another section being constructed and arranged to be assembled in line for use in the water and to provide between their abutting ends a recess, a foldable towing bracket permanently secured to the towing section and constructed to be folded into said recess between said boat sections and further arranged to be extended for towing attachment to an automobile when the two said sections are not in alignment, wheel attachment means permanently secured on opposite sides of said towing section on the outside surfaces thereof, a pair of wheels for towing, and separate independent mounting means for each wheel constructed for temporary connection with said attachment means whereby said towing section may be supported on said wheels for towing.

5. In combination, a boat having a plurality of sections, two of said sections when connected together in line for floating in the water being constructed to provide a concealed recess betweeen their abutting ends, a folding towing bracket secured to one of said sections and constructed whereby it may be folded into said recess when the boat sections are assembled together and capable of being extended for attachment to an automobile when the boat sections are not aligned together, the boat section to which said towing bracket is secured having permanently secured on its opposite sides separate, independent wheel attachment means, a pair of wheels for towing, and separate, independent mounting means for each wheel constructed for quick, detachable, interlocking connection with said attachment means for supporting said boat section during towing.

OSCAR H. JOHNSON. 

